PETA Suing Sea World, Claims Whales Are “Slaves”

by William Teach | February 7, 2012 8:27 am

Back in October, I brought you a quick bite story[1] about how PETA planned to get killer whales constitutional rights, saying that keeping them violated the 13th Amendment (slavery). The lawsuit against Sea World has now gone to a judge

(LA Times[2]) A federal judge appeared dubious Monday about a lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that seeks the release of orcas from SeaWorld on anti-slavery grounds.

PETA attorney Jeffrey Kerr told U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller that invoking the anti-slavery 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in hopes of freeing the orcas is “the next frontier of civil rights.”

But Miller told Kerr that he cannot find a legal precedent for allowing a lawsuit to be filed on behalf of the orcas under the 13th Amendment. The orcas, he noted, are animals, not people.

Judge Miller said he will consider the request by Sea World to dismiss this absurd and frivilous lawsuit, but gave no timeline for his decision. Over to the BBC[3]

Five killer whales have been named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit which argues they deserve the same constitutional protection from slavery as humans.

Jeffrey Kerr, the lawyer representing the five whales, said: “For the first time in our nation’s history, a federal court heard arguments as to whether living, breathing, feeling beings have rights and can be enslaved simply because they happen to not have been born human.

“By any definition these orcas have been enslaved here.”

No mention as to whether Judge Miller took frequent breaks to go back in his chambers and laugh his head off.

Crossed at Pirate’s Cove[4]. Follow me on Twitter @WilliamTeach[5].

Endnotes:
  1. quick bite story: http://www.thepiratescove.us/2011/10/26/peta-wants-whales-freed-from-slavery/
  2. LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-seaworld-orcas-20120207,0,256419.story
  3. BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16920866
  4. Pirate’s Cove: http://www.thepiratescove.us/
  5. @WilliamTeach: http://twitter.com/WilliamTeach

Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/animal-rights/peta-suing-sea-world-claims-whales-are-slaves/